Tracing bronze art through the millennia

Professor David Ekserdjian co-curates a Royal Academy exhibition dedicated to 5,000 years of artwork in bronze

Portrait Head of King Seuthes III, Early Hellenistic period, Thracian, Late fourth - early third centuries BCE Bronze, copper, alabaster and glass paste, 32.5 x 24 cm National Institute of Archaeology and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Professor David Ekserdjian, Professor of Art History at the University of Leicester’s Department of the History of Art and Film, has selected 150 bronze works spanning 5,000 years of history which make up 'Bronze': a new exhibition at the Royal Academy co-curated by the art historian and writer.

The exhibition, which started last week and will run until December 9, brings together pieces from Asia, Africa and Europe and includes important discoveries as well as archaeological excavations. Many of the pieces have never been seen in the UK. Focuses of the exhibition include: the Human Figure; Animals; Groups; Objects; Reliefs; Gods; Heads; and Busts. The exhibition features stunning Ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan bronzes, through to rare survivals from the Medieval period.

Efforts have been made to get the best examples from the countries represented in the exhibition. The response has been incredibly enthusiastic, with the Royal Academy having a great reputation for curating exhibitions. The long duration of the 'Bronze' exhibition allows for a wide variety of people to experience it.